


Boys Of The Summer

by wannabe_free



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2013-07-03
Packaged: 2017-12-16 11:46:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/861630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wannabe_free/pseuds/wannabe_free
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall looks at him with his eyebrows furrowed. He's about to tell Harry to keep his hands to himself but instead he distracts himself watching  Liam as he makes a hand stand in the pool. He can feel Harry’s eyes still on his profile so he finishes his beer, leaves the glass on the ground and  jumps into the water immediatly going for a dive, his head surfacing some seconds later and shaking the excess of water off his hair.</p><p> </p><p>Harry is still sitting on the edge, his legs submerged in the water and  looking at Niall rather amused, “We are gonna be very good friends, you and I…” He says.</p><p> <br/>AU where the boys are pool liveguards.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1-Feedback is much appreciated  
> 2-not beatead  
> 3-chapters are short but it's the only way to keep upadting every 2/3 days :)

*

*

*

Niall takes an inspective look around the premises. The pool is Olympic and looks clean, surrounded by grass  scattered with a few posts here and there supporting water wings.  There’s a small wooden hut where Niall supposes they keep the first aid kits, deck chairs and other necessities and a few meters from the pool there’s an old house where Niall will live for the next few months, all this enclosed by a tall fence.

 

The email clearly said to be there at 09:30 am outside the pool’s gates the day before they opened to the clients so that they could get the keys and all the legal stuff signed but it’s almost ten and the gates to the pool are still closed and there’s no one in sight.

 

Niall re-accommodates his backpack on his shoulders, shifts his weight from foot to foot and takes the zillionth look at his watch; it’s getting closer to ten o clock and the Californian sun is starting to feel itchy on his pale skin. His stuff for the summer lays scattered on the floor around him and Niall’s eyes wander around the different bags and boxes trying to figure why does he have this nagging feeling that he forgot something at home.

 

It’s not like he can go ad retrieve it now. He’s been travelling since yesterday to get where he is, and now Ireland and Mullingar are so far that they feel unreal, like they have stopped existing now that Niall is not there.

 

“Hey, you here for the lifeguard job too?”

 

Niall startles a little and turns around, his eyes falling on a boy who seemingly has just appeared out of nowhere. The first thing Niall notices are the lack of hair on his head and the muscles in his arms and fleetingly Niall thinks, “you better not make this guy angry.” But then Niall’s eyes shift to his face and realizes that he’s got  nice warm eyes and a kind smiles, so he offers his hand and the other boy shakes it energetically.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m Niall.”

 

“Liam.” Says the other boy with a British accent. “Hasn’t anyone come to open the gates yet?”

 

“No, no, I have been here since 09:15 but no one has showed up so far.”

 

Liam lets of a puff of air, his shoulders relaxing visibly, “Well, thank god.” He says, “Thought I’d be late for the first day, you know gotta make a good impression and all.”

 

At this Niall can’t help but look at him up and down with a cocked eyebrow, because it isn’t like the blonde is wearing a tuxedo for this but at least he’s made the effort to put on some jeans. Liam, though, is wearing nothing but some Hawaiian trunks  and a tank top, which is funny because that’s just what Niall wishes he was wearing, but yeah, hell, good impressions.

 

“Look, I still have my shit in my car.” Says Liam pointing his finger in a very vague direction.

 

“Need any help with that?” Offers Niall. “It doesn’t look like anyone is coming anytime soon.”

 

Liam smiles at him again, easy and friendly then moves forwards and takes a peek at the pool over Niall’s shoulder  looking excited, “I was expecting it to be smaller.” Says he, “The house looks good, right?”

 

Niall nods his head, his eyes wandering again across the pool, “Yeah, it’s awesome. Um, do you think it’s fine if I leave my stuff here for a sec?”

 

 

Liam looks at Niall’s bags then looks at the deserted area around then and shrugs, “Yeah. This place looks dead, I thought parking would be a pain in the ass but it took me like 2 minutes.”

 

“Nah mate, if they wanted five of us I guess it’s gonna be busy.  Summer break doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, people are still working and shit.”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Liam finally concedes, “by the way, where are the others?”

 

“I don’t know. I am starting to wonder if there was another email changing the time and day that we didn’t get.”

 

They walk down the road with the sun burning their necks, not having to care about cars or traffic  and soon enough Liam stops in front of a small Toyota that makes  Niall wonder how does he even fit in there. He opens the trunk to discover some bags and boxes neatly arranged then hands Niall one of the smaller boxes and picks three of the bags all by himself.

 

Niall looks half afraid, half impressed the way the muscles in his arms flex and tense under his skin, his teeth baring with the effort, “Common,” Say Niall then,  “I think I can carry another box.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yeah, yeah give them here.”

 

Liam makes acrobatics to lock the door and With their arms and hands full they make their way back towards the pool, this time taking twice the time and in silence, sweating and panting slightly with the heath and the effort.

 

*

When they finally make it to the gate again there are two other boys talking nonchalantly as they lean against the fence, their stuff also on the floor mixing up with Niall’s.  When they notice Niall and Liam approaching they stop talking and  look at them with curiosity until one of them, tanned and with a very light complexion takes a couple of steps forwards, squinting his blue eyes slightly.

 

“Hey! Are you here for the job?” He shouts.

 

“Yeah, you too?” Niall shouts back.

 

“Yeah, here, let me help you.”  The other one walks towards them too and takes one of Liam’s bags and his skinny arms look like they could break with the effort. He is tanned and exotic, his features sharp and captivating, and his eyes rather feminine.

 

Liam drops his bag carelessly on the floor, then cracks his back, “So no one’s come yet?” he asks, drying the beads of sweat that have accumulated on his forehead with the back of his hand.

 

“The maintenance guy is having breakfast in the bar down the road. We went there to have a coffee and he told us that he would be here in a minute.” Explains the tiny guy. “Oh! Formalities!” I’m Louis and this is Zayn.”

 

“Niall and this is Liam. “

 

They all sit on the floor making small chat with their legs stretched in weird angles to avoid crushing their things. Louis takes off his top and sprawls further against the fence and Zayn lights up a cigarette.

 

 “No smoking in the premises.” A heavy accented voice says then.

 

They all turn around to find a chubby sweaty man looking down at them and Niall guesses this must be the maintenance guy because he sees a flicker of recognition in  Louis’ and Zayn’s eyes, and the last shrugs his shoulders and stubs out the cigarette, his hands immediately  roaming his pockets for a mint gum.

 

“I’m John the one who emailed you all.” He explains as the boys get up from the floor and bend over to pick their bags.  “I’ll come here every day to make sure everything is in order and to keep the pool clean, but I’ll give you my number in case there’s any problem. Harry called me this morning saying that he would be late but I’ll show you around and you can explain him later.””

 

 They all line up behind him as he opens the gates and follow him inside struggling to fit their things through the tiny gate.

 

“I live just around the corner.” John adds without offering help, “You’ll figure out this place immediately, it’s pretty small but we get a lot of tourism because the beach is 15 minutes away.  You’ll find  a few shops at the main street and if you need anything else there’s a bigger town nearby with a mall.”

 

He walks directly to the house adjacent to the pool and opens it with the keys. “This is gonna be your house for the next couple of months, if you break anything you pay for it. You can negotiate the rooms later. As for the pool as we discussed, 8 hours a day and you can distribute them as you want as long as there are always at least two people out there. Payment is at the end of each month as we arranged. You have today to settle down and you start tomorrow. The pool doesn’t get busy until 10 but you have to be there at 9 either way, even if it’s empty. The irrigation system for the grass starts at 02:00 in the morning and I’ll come by when the pool is closed to throw chlorine and make sure the filters are working.”

 

They all nod again and follow John around the place as he shows them the house and the pool, where the life jackets and water wings are as well as the first aid kit and the deck chairs,  then he finally rubs his hands together and says, “I’d suggest you go grocery shopping now to fill the fridge. My wife made sure everything is clear so you don’t have to worry about that.  Maybe two of you should go and two of you should stay just in case Harry shows up, and that’s everything so if you want to come inside the house so I can give you your keys and get all the shit signed….”

 

*

 

An hour later Zayn and Niall are on their way to what they guess must be the main street. The dry weather is suffocating even now that Niall has ditched his jeans for some shorts. Niall tries to memorize the shops and the bars and at the same time keep the conversation with Zayn going.

 

Zayn is not as talkative as Liam so it’s mostly Niall doing all the talking; asking easy questions that Zayn answers quickly and vaguely, then answering thoroughly when Zayn looks at him with interest and asks, “ you?”  So as they approach the different local shops Niall decides that they are going to get on just fine because there’s nothing that Niall loves more than talking and apparently Zayn seems just as enthusiastic about listening.

 

They get in one of the local shops and Zayn rummages his pockets looking for the list Liam has written neatly for them with all the things they like to eat. Zayn, who has a better memory, offers the list to Niall and they part ways to get the job done quickly.

 

*

 

  They walk past the pool and towards the house, running the few last meters because their fingers are getting red with lack of circulation. Zayn knocks  on the door with his foot seeing as they both have their hands busy with plastic bags and Louis comes to get the door and help them, taking a peek at one of the bags and whooping excitedly,  “Awesome. Oh! Harry is here.” Then turning around, he looks towards one of the rooms and shouts, “Harry! Come meet the rest!”

 

There are heavy steps and then  a shirtless boy comes out the room and  walks towards them smiling as he advances.

 

 

He’s tall and has a shit load of tattoos across his tanned arms and trunk.  He’s got a nice built ; he’s bigger than any of them but he carries himself with grace and ease. His hair is somewhere in between curly, straight and a plain mess, the fringe pushed backwards in a sort of toupee that he somehow manages to pull off.

 

His eyes fall on Zayn first and they are big and a nice shade of green. Niall notices them stare up and down Zayn’s sinewy body and then move to look at Niall where they linger for a bit. 

 

“I’m Harry.”  He finally says.   His eyes go back and forth from Zayn to Niall, finally landing on the blonde and smiling with mischief, “and fuck, I told my boyfriend that I‘d behave, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

 

There are a couple of seconds of blatant, intense staring on Harry’s side and just when things are about to get uncomfortable Niall lets out a loud chuckle and offers his hand, “Hey, I am Niall, nice to meet you.”

 

Harry’s smile widens even more, his eyes glistening and sparkly as he studies the blonde with poorly concealed interest, then he  shakes Niall’s hand; his palm wide in contrast with Niall’s and his fingers long, delicate and lingering just a little. He holds Niall’s stare and adds, “My pleasure.” and Niall smiles again, shaking his head as he does.

 

After a few seconds Niall looks away, rolling his eyes and clicking his tongue and Harry looks at him just a bit longer and finally focuses his attention on Zayn, “And you are?”

 

“Zayn, nice to meet you, mate.” He awkwardly pats Harry’s shoulder and walks towards his room.

 

Louis, who so far has been putting the groceries in the fridge, turns towards them and claps his hands together excitedly, “Well, now that we have all settled we should  go for a swim.”

 

*

 

Niall and Liam make it first to the pool. Niall sits on the edge of it and Liam makes a rather impressive back flip splashing water all over Niall, who turns around and notices Zayn standing by the door of the house, apparently waiting for the rest.

 

“Dude!” He shouts, “Get some beers when you come!”

 

Zayn looks at him, his eyebrows quirked trying to figure if Niall is talking to him, then he goes back into the house only to re-emerge a minute later and shout back, “Louis says they are still too hot, do you want water instead?”

 

Niall crinkles his nose to show his disgust, “Ew, no, I’ll leave water for the fishes, bring the beer, hot or cold.”

 

Zayn shrugs and almost bumps into Harry as the tall boy gets out of the house and steps into the grass holding two identical glasses. Harry spills a bit of the golden, foamy substance over his hand, and smiles at Zayn apologetically. His eyes linger on Zayn’s naked, tattooed chest and Niall watches them exchange a few words before Harry starts walking towards the pool in his trunks and sits beside Niall. He hands the blonde one of the glasses and says, “I found ice cubes on the freezer.”

 

Niall accepts the icy cold beer with a grateful smile and clicks their glasses together accidentally spilling some of the beer over his pale thigh and Harry places his glass on the ground, and with an “oops” brings two of his fingers towards Niall’s leg and starts rubbing off the beer until the cold substance is smeared all over Niall’s pale leg, making it look shiny  in the sun.

 

Niall looks at him with his eyebrows furrowed. He's about to tell Harry to keep his hands to himself but instead he distracts himself watching  Liam as he makes a hand stand in the pool. He can feel Harry’s eyes still on his profile so he finishes his beer, leaves the glass on the ground and  jumps into the water immediatly going for a dive, his head surfacing some seconds later and shaking the excess of water off his hair.

 

Harry is still sitting on the edge, his legs submerged in the water and  looking at Niall rather amused, “We are gonna be very good friends, you and I…” He says.

 

Niall just splashes water at him.

 

*

 

That night they grab a few beers and a few towels and they sit in a circle on the grass, with only a few distant lampposts and Zayn’s cigarette to light the place.

 

Zayn leans forward to grab a beer and Harry takes off his top and lays on his towel looking directly at the sky. He sighs contentedly and closes his eyes, "The weather here is so nice."

 

Louis looks down at him and scratches his arm viciously, “Mate, I wouldn’t do that, the grass here is full of ants.”

 

Harry then sits up a little  and places his head on one of Niall’s legs who shakes it a couple of time in the hope that Harry will get the hint. He doesn’t. He just smiles petulantly up at the blonde and pokes his tongue out  at him in a childishly manner.

 

“So guys,” Liam asks, “Is it your first time in America?” 

 

There are several quiet “yes”, and Liam adds, “Mine too, I was thinking of travelling a bit once the job is over. I dunno. This is a once in life experience, I just want to make the most of it.”

 

There’s a general hum of agreement and they start to talk about the places they would like to visit when out of the blue Liam points towards a post, “Hey, isn’t that a lamp over there? There must be something to switch it on.”

 

Zayn‘s dark eyes flicker for  a bit finally settling on the lamp  Liam’s talking about, “Maybe it doesn’t work, it looks old.” Says he.

 

“There are more lamps on the front of the house.” Harry points out, “but they look dusty.”

 

There’s a creaking sound and then Louis is standing up, stretching his legs and walking  closer to the post. They all observe him as he takes an inspective look at the lamp and Liam gets up too walking towards Louis. Soon they start discussing switches and bulbs and Niall stops paying attention to what they are saying.

 

Following their steps, Zayn rubs his knees vehemently and gets up. He shakes the dirt off his trunks and announces that he's going to take a leak.

 

“Wait, we’ll come with you to check if there’s a switch in the house or in the hut.” Says Liam then and the three of them walk towards the house now discussing where the switches should be. As soon as they disappear inside the house, Harry looks up at Niall and the blonde looks  back at him quizzically, his eyebrow quirking instinctively. Harry brings up a hand to poke at Niall’s dimple chin and smiles cheekily.

 

“You know? I like you quite a lot.” He says boldly.

 

Niall makes a funny face and shrugs one shoulder, quite unimpressed.

 

“Oh, well, that’s a surprise.”

 

Harry smile spreads slowly on his face and his eyebrows furrow a little.

.

“Not really.” Harry retorts, “When I like something or someone I make it rather obvious. I just go for it.”

 

Niall snorts and replies, “Well, I was being ironic.”

 

“Oh” Says Harry as he winks, “I’m glad you got the message then.”

 

They stare at each other for a minute or so and Harry brings his hand up again, this time to cup Niall’s jaw, his thumb stroking the soft side of the blonde's face.

 

Niall shifts a little on his towel and starts picking grass distractedly. “Harry, just to clarify, I have someone back home.” He says firmly.

 

Harry purses his lips, not looking bothered at all by this new piece of information, “Okay. So do I.” He answers easily.

 

Niall snorts again and takes Harry’s hand from his face and pushes it away gently, “Mate, you are unbelievable.”

 

Harry wiggles his eyebrows cockily and opens his mouth to say something but before he can say anything Louis shouts at them from inside the hut. “Hey guys! I think we found it! Are they lit now?”

 

Harry makes a sad face at Niall and sits up taking a look at the lamps, then shouts back, “Yeah, they are, but they don’t really make much of a difference!”

 

Louis’ head pops out from the door of the hut. He peeks at the lamps and when he sees  that they are indeed working he gives Harry a thumbs up and starts walking towards them with Liam following close behind.

 

*

*

*


	2. Chapter 2

When Niall’s alarm clock goes off he yawns loudly and cracks his back, still not used to his new mattress. He can hear movement coming from the kitchen; the soft clicking sound of teaspoons against glass, hot bread coming out of the toaster and gentle voices and steps here and there.

 

He looks at the ceiling and allows himself to close his eyes for a couple of seconds and before he knows it he’s fallen asleep again and the alarm clock is on its second round, the Beatles barely having five seconds to start singing “she loves you” before Niall  throws an arm  backwards and hits the phone with the back of his hand.

 

Niall jumps out of the bed before he can fall asleep again, then walks lazily towards the kitchen to the sight of Louis preparing tea. Niall sits on the counter, idly scratching his stomach and nodding his head as a sort of silent greeting.

 

“Tea? Mate if I drank tea in the morning I would fall asleep again.”

 

Louis looks up at him, a smile on his lips that says _good morning you too_ , and then starts pouring the tea into a cup.

 

“Good,” he retorts, “because I wasn’t offering.”

 

Niall makes a face at him and Liam steps into the house from the garden with a couple of bottles of water in his hand.

 

“There’s some coffee left in there, Zayn made it this morning.” He says pointing towards the coffee maker, “but mate, put loads of sugar in it because that shit is strong.”

 

Niall nods and proceeds to heat the coffee and pour some in a cup, then asks, “Did Zayn and Harry make it to the pool on time?”

 

Louis starts rummaging the larder for something to dip in his tea, “Yeah,” He says when he finally succeeds. “Apparently Zayn fell asleep and Harry had to wake him up. Liam has been helping them a bit, so you and me should take over in a bit. Apparently it’s starting to get busy just now.”

 

Niall nods, brings the cup to his lips, then puts it down again to add some extra sugar, “I think I am gonna go out there now and see how are they doing.” He announces, “might get a morning swim before it gets too busy.”

 

Louis nods distractedly, trying to rescue with a teaspoon a digestive biscuit that is dramatically drowning in his tea. Silence settles in the room as Niall and Louis finish their breakfast in peace, then Liam says,  “Hey Niall! Harry, Zayn and I have decided to go for run every morning, early, before it gets too hot. We are all used to running every day at home, so if you want to join us…”

 

Before he can even finish the sentence Niall pats his soft tummy and jumps off the counter, “Man, do I look like someone who would wake up early to work out?” asks he, burping for extra effect.

 

Louis who has by now given up on the biscuit raises his head and smiles a toothy grin at Niall, the corner of his eyes crinkling in the most endearing way “Yeah, that’s exactly what I said.”

 

Niall puts his cup on the sink and cracks his back again, “No mate, me and Louis will stay behind and, um you know, guard the front.”

 

*

 

When Niall goes outside the house he feels slightly self-conscious. As far as personal hygiene is concerned, he still hasn’t even bothered with washing his face. He ruffles his mop of blonde hair trying to tame it a little and in the end he gives up and decides that only water can fix it.

 

There’s at least a score of people in the premises; some sunbathing on the grass and some swimming. There are kids playing with footballs, their mothers following them with  sunscreen in their hands and some teenagers chatting in small circles and also a few elderly people laying on the deck chairs.

 

From the corner of his eye Niall catches sight of Zayn and Harry talking animatedly on the grass. They sit on the same towel at the other end of the pool where a few bushes provide a small shadowy area. Zayn is talking more than Niall has ever seen him talk, his hands accompanying his words with gestures. He is laughing at everything Harry says, too, closing his eyes and throwing his head backwards every time he does. A beautiful sight, he is.

 

Niall wonders if he should walk towards them. He doesn’t want to.  From the way they interact it is rather obvious that they are flirting and Niall doesn’t want to be the third wheel. Instead he walks closer to the pool and sits on the edge of it, looking at a small group of teenage girls swimming. Soon they start to giggle and steal not so subtle glances at Niall until one of them swims towards him, the rest following close behind, all giggly and blushing.

 

“Hi.” Says the girl when she is close enough to Niall.

 

Niall smiles, almost glad for the distraction, “Hello.”

 

The girl who swam first looks like she’s lost her bravery now, because she looks at her friends as if asking for help.  Finally a new girl asks, “What is your name?” 

 

Niall answers the question, then proceeds to asks their names even though he forgets them as soon as they leave their lips. They want to know how long Niall and his friends are gonna be working in the pool and when Niall tells them that they are there for the next two months the girls seem glad with the answer. They are really curious about his age or where he comes from, a couple of them even asking about the rest of the boys, their shyness soon forgotten.  Niall spends half an hour answering to them, half annoyed, half flattered,  until one of their mothers comes and tells them to go play somewhere else and stop bothering Niall.

 

When Niall is about to jump into the pool, he feels a hand on his shoulder and he turns around to find Zayn, who bends a little  towards Niall and asks, “Hey mate, can you take over for a while? I need a smoke.”

 

Niall smiles up at him, “Yeah sure, no worries.”

 

Zayn nods grateful and points towards Harry, “Harry wants you to go over there, says he is bored.”

 

Niall nods too and Zayn offers him a hand to help him up, then says goodbye waving at Harry before he heads for the gate.

 

Niall looks at Harry and points towards the hut, indicating that he will be taking a detour. Harry nods and Niall heads for the hut to get a deck chair. There are a dozen of them piled up in a corner and when he tries to get the one on the top, three of them fall to the floor with a loud crashing sound. Niall leans his deck chair against the wall hoping he hasn’t broken the rest, then bends over to pick the ones that have fallen. Suddenly the door of the hut opens. It’s Harry.

 

“Hey mate, took you while.”

 

Niall tenses a little but he doesn’t even turn to look at him. He preoccupies himself with sorting out the deck chairs and finally asks, “Shouldn’t someone be keeping an eye on the pool?”

 

“Louis and Liam are there, don’t worry, I wanted to check if you needed help.”

 

Niall finally turns on his heels and nods. The air around them feels thick and awkward and Niall wonders when that happened. Harry must notice that something is off with him because he raises his hands in front of his chest and  says, “Hey mate, I know that I am little straight forward and that it makes people uncomfortable sometimes, but if you aren’t interested I respect it.”

 

Niall looks at him, narrowing his eyes with mock suspicion until Harry adds with a smile, “Don’t you trust me?”

 

Niall snorts, “I shouldn’t”  then, “I really shouldn’t” and when Harry pouts at him, “but I guess I can forget everything and we can start again.”

 

“Yeah,” Answers Harry, “let’s do that.” And he opens his arms invitingly, a big soppy smile on his face.

 

Niall sighs and takes a couple of steps forward until his chest is pressed against Harry’s, the sunscreen making their skins stick together uncomfortably. Harry’s arms close around Niall’s tiny waist and he bends over to hide his face in the crook of the blonde’s neck.  Niall pats Harry’s back awkwardly, letting the taller boy engulf  him with his body until he feels wandering hands go past the smaller of his back and then a shameless squeeze on  his bum.

 

“Harry!”

 

Niall gasps outraged and pushes the younger boy away looking at him disbelievingly and Harry opens his eyes comically wide and brings a hand up to hide his mouth. Niall can’t help it. He really wants to be mad but he discovers that it’s quite difficult to get mad at Harry. Instead he rolls his eyes to indicate that he is not mad but not happy about it either.

 

“Sorry mate.” Says Harry with big innocent eyes, “Just wanted to check how big was my loss.”

 

Niall is lost for words for a second but soon he recovers himself from the shock and decides to play it cool. He straightens his back and neck to look bigger and says, “Big, big loss.”

 

Harry laughs and messes up with his blonde hair even further, then leans forwards, bringing a hand to cover his mouth as if he was going to tell Niall a secret.

 

“So far.” He whispers, then his eyes fall on Niall's lap and adds “I still need to know how are you in other departments.”

 

And then he winks and leaves, leaving a flustered and still disbelieving Niall behind.

 

*

The first week passes and soon they find themselves established. 

 

They start talking with the local people, the ones that come to the pool and other people they meet at the shops, clubs and bars and soon they are totally integrated in the community. Louis and Zayn join a local poker competition and Harry joins a group of boys who see each other once a week to go cycling around the nearby towns.

 

They all have  grown quite close, too, so If one of them feels sick or tired it goes without saying that someone else will take over their shift and if someone misses home of feels lonely the rest take it upon themselves to put a smile back on their faces.

 

For most of the part Harry stays true to his word and he cuts down the flirty comments and the grabby hands even though, as Louis puts it, he still has “a soft spot” for Niall that he doesn’t really bother to hide.

 

He has little gestures with the blonde that no one has had in a while, (or ever). So for instance, if he goes for a jog in the morning, he’ll remember to stop at the shop to get Niall his favorite snack or if it’s Niall’s shift at the pool he’ll make sure to keep the blonde company and to bring him cold water every now and then. Niall for his part lets Harry spoil him without reading too much into it. He is a very friendly, affectionate person, so he loves having someone looking after him all the time. The hugs and the constant attention help Niall deal better with homesickness, the compliments put a smile on his face and soon he starts feeling really confident and comfortable when he is around the younger boy.

 

*

 

A week and a half after their first day, they all decide to go out to one of the local pubs. So far they have gone out a couple of times, because there’s nothing much to do on the house besides sitting on the grass and talking, seeing as they don't have television or internet. Supposedly John was going to bring them a television set from his house that he didn’t use, but they are still waiting for it, so when Liam comes up with idea of going to the pub they all agree readily.

 

 

They don’t bother with fancy clothes. The place is rather small, with more or less the same faces they are used to see around all the time, nothing really exciting but cheap alcohol and decent music.  Zayn goes to get the drinks as the rest of htem skim the place looking for a free booth, if possible one that is  near the ceiling fan.

 

From the corner of his eye Harry notices a large group of people leaving one of the booths,  not near the fan but at least not near the toilets either, so  they occupy the still warm seats considering themselves lucky. Once they are settled, Niall takes a look around and notices Harry’s eyes flickering towards the bar every now and then.

 

 “So, do you reckon Zayn is interested?”  Harry finally asks.

 

Liam quirks an eyebrow, interrupting his conversation with Louis to look at the younger boy, then asks,  “Interested in what?”

 

Harry wiggles his eyebrows and bluntly retorts, “Interested in me.”

 

Louis looks at Zayn still waiting by the bar, then at Harry. “Yeah, maybe.” After a second, he scrunches his nose and adds, “Actually, the first day I would have sworn that you were interested in Niall.”

 

Niall feels the heat go to his cheeks and wow, do these people always have to be so blunt about their thoughts? Harry, for his part, doesn’t seem all that bothered. If anything he smiles contentedly and throws a heavy arm around Niall’s shoulders, studying his profile as he does, “Well, he knows that if he wants I am more than willing.”

 

Niall squirms under his weight furrowing his eyes at Louis, “Don’t give him ideas.” He groans.

 

*

 

When Zayn joins them with their drinks Liam takes his pint and steals a glance at the bar, “The waitress is hot.” He observes, then, remembering that he has a girlfriend, he tenses a little as if he had just broken some sort of moral code and Danielle, his girl, was here to witness. Quickly, he adds, “I mean, not that it matters but…”

 

At this they all turn to look at the waitress, a young girl with huge breasts and a piercing on her nose, not a classical beauty, but with something about her that makes her quite attractive. Louis though, doesn’t seem to agree; he makes a face, his nose scrunching up, then says, “No mate, not my type at all.”

 

Liam shrugs his shoulders, almost on the defensive, then asks, “Well, what is your type?”

 

 Louis’ eyes wander around the pub looking for a girl that he likes and finally his eyes stop on a sweet looking, tiny girl. “That one, over there, next to the ginger, maybe a little bit taller.”

 

Harry laughs at this, “Mate, you are too picky.” He says, then proceeding to chug the rest of his beer.

 

“Well, I do have standards.” Louis retorts, “Nothing wrong with that. But enlighten us, Styles, what is you type?”

 

 Harry shrugs his shoulders, looking rather disconcerted, “I don’t have a type.”

 

Zayn holds his stare and asks, “So you’d tap anything?”

 

Harry seems to think about it for a moment then shrugs dismissively,  "I think everyone is beautiful in their own way. There are just different kinds of beauty."

 

Louis rolls his eyes, opens his mouth to retort but then closes it in favor of finishing his drink. Finally, he settles the glass on the table and shivers as the alcohol enters his system, “Okay, then.”

 

*

 

They leave the pub at 3 am; Liam helping a rather drunk Louis and the rest of them leading the way.

 

“Shhh” says Liam as they pass in front of John’s house. “Be quiet now.”

 

Louis seems to have other ideas in his mind, because he detaches himself from Liam and half runs, half crawls towards the door of their manager’s house.

 

Everyone panics for a little as Louis gets closer to the door, lifting a hand and turning it into a fist “Louis stop, come here.” Liam pleads, seconded by Niall. Louis, disregarding their advices,  turns back to smile at them wickedly and then back to the door, his hand moving with intent.

 

Zayn gasps and Liam curses under his breath. “Fuck, fuck” Niall exclaims, getting ready for a qucik retreat, “He’s gonna do it,” He adds pushing past Zayn, “fucking move!”

 

They all share a look, a moment of hesitation before they all break into a run  trying to muffle their laughter.They run for a few meters, shoving at each other and cursing Louis and it's only when they have put enough distance between themselves and John’s house  that they turn around to see Louis trembling with laughing, crouched over his knees and clutching his stomach as he points at them. When he finally catches up with them his eyes are glazed over with tears of laughter, “You really thought I was gonna do it!.” He pants, “God, your faces!”

 

*

*

 

When Liam opens the gate, they all stumble after him and collapse on the ground still panting from their little race. Louis can't stop laughing and Niall catches Zay giving him a gentle slap on the back of his head.

 

Louis tries to slap him back but in his drunken, sorry state he fails miserably and ends up hitting the air. He sends Zayn a menacing look but as soon as his eyes fall on  Harry  he seems to forget his irritation and plans of vengeance, because his whole face lights up with excitement, “I can’t possibly go to sleep now.” He announces all business like, then as if it was nothing, “let’s go skinny dipping.”

 

For some stupid reason, at the moment they all think that’s such a fantastic idea, with everyone springing to their feet and shouting and whooping and being embarrassingly drunk. Niall staggers a little, slightly off balance after getting up too suddenly.  Zayn passes by him, guiding Louis towards the pool and saying “shallow end for you mate.”

 

When Niall finally reaches the pool Zayn and Louis are already swimming in the part of the pool that is illuminated, their clothes piled on the grass. Liam then takes a water ring from one of the posts and throws it in the pool and Zayn immediately swims to catch it and forces Louis to put it on.

 

Niall can’t stop laughing, so hard his stomach gets stiff with the effort.  He takes off his shoes and t-shirt throwing them on the grass next to Louis’ and Zayn’s . He struggles a little with his belt and turns his head when he listens a “tshh” coming from the pool. Harry, already in the water, is supporting his weight with his elbows on the edge of the pool, his eyes on Niall, “Need any help with that?” He asks.

 

Niall shakes his head, suddenly feeling shy about getting naked. He pushes his jeans and boxers down in one go and jumps quickly into the pool ignoring Harry’s appreciative little hum.

 

When he emerges from the water, all the boys are taking the piss at Louis for wearing the water ring so Niall, feeling a little adventurous and seeking a moment of solitude to clear his mind, decides to swim a little heading for the dark, deep part of the pool, holding himself onto the edge once he reaches the other end of the pool.

 

Taking his arms out of the water, he places them on the edge the pool, resting his chin on them. He closes his eyes for a couple of minutes and simply focuses on the rippling sound of the water. Soon he hears someone swimming towards him but he can’t tell who.  He stills when he feels a big hand splay across his stomach, the muscles there tensing under the contact. Someone presses his front against his back, solid and wet against Niall's skin.

 

He gasps loudly, feeling a bit dizzy all of sudden.  The other body presses harder onto him, strong arms now leaving Niall’s stomach to support themselves on the edge of the pool too, leaving Niall cornered between the body and the wall of the pool. Next Niall knows, there are lips near his ear whispering; “Now I can officially state that it was a big loss.”

 

Niall struggles momentarily to free himself, but he finally gives up once he notices that all the squirming is just making the friction worse, the proof of it digging against his lower back almost painfully.

 

“Harry, stop, they will see you.”  

 

Niall can almost feel Harry’s petulant grin spread out against the skin of his neck. He tries to calm down his breathing, embarrassingly noticing that his own hard on is now pressing against the wall of the pool.

 

“So what?” Asks the younger boy.

 

Niall tries not to move his hips, using all his will power to stop himself from humping the wall, and with the small dignity he has left he breaths out, “If you play your cards nicely you can still have a chance with Zayn.”

 

Harry ignores him again and licks a wide stripe of  skin on the back of Niall’s neck and Niall can’t think straight anymore. “You know how I said that everyone has a different kind of beauty?” He starts conversationally, “Well, Zayn has the kind of beauty that makes me want to lay back and observe, but you… you have the kind of beauty I’d like to watch come undone under my hands....and my mouth.”

 

Niall gasps again, unconsciously arching his body and pushing himself back against Harry. He feels Harry’s teeth sinking softly into the skin of his neck and Niall curses and brings a hand to his own cock, tugging a couple of times in a desperate attempt for a release.

 

“Hey, you two, what the hell are you doing there?”

 

Liam’s voice comes from the other end of the pool and Niall suddenly reminds where he is. He grabs Harry’s arms and pushes until Harry lets him free.

 

Louis shouts, “The naughty. They are doing the naughty!!!”

 

Niall hears the laughter and he thinks he could die from embarrassment. He starts swimming towards the rest. “We are here!” He shouts slightly out of breath, “right here!”

 

*

 


	3. Chapter 3

*  
*  
*

After a week of neglecting the conversation Niall assumes that the whole episode in the pool is going to be shrugged off and filed under “drunken mistakes that must be forgotten” and he is quite happy with that. After all that's exactly what it is; a drunken mistake. Something that Niall would never have done or thought of doing if he had been on his right senses.

 

He is definitely flattered that someone like Harry is showing interests in him. He appreciates the way the younger boy goes out of his way to impress him and the way he acts all silly and ridiculous to make Niall laugh. He also appreciates other things.  Like the arch of Harry’s back or his legs; long and solid and delicate, all of this at once. His pink lips, which sometimes distract the blonde a little too much.

 

Niall keeps surprising himself stealing glances, quick and secretive. Keeps realizing how he always ends up where Harry is, sitting by his side on the couch, laying on the grass with their ankles touching, cooking together some ridiculously caloric meal for dinner.

 

But when it comes to Harry, Niall would rather be safe than sorry. He knows that the younger boy has the potential to make him suffer; he has a secret ability to make Niall like him.

 

 Niall doesn’t even have to feel the danger in the guts. Harry does all the work. Honest as he is, he won’t hesitate to repeatedly tell Niall how much he likes him, looking directly at his eyes as if he had nothing to hide. But just with the same honesty, Harry doesn’t conceal the fact that apart from Niall, he also likes Zayn, and his boyfriend, and that girl who works at the restaurant down the road. 

 

Harry’s isn’t promising him anything and he is playing his game showing all his cards. Harry is in love with idea of being in love and Niall, for his part, has the certainty that he could like Harry a lot; he could like him too much, and he really, _really_ doesn’t want to.

 

 

*

 

The pool has closed to the public barely 30 minutes ago. Liam, Harry and Niall lay silently on their respective deck chairs playing with their phones as John picks up the bees that have fallen onto the water and died in the process.

 

It’s been three weeks since their first day and so far the only accidents on the pool have been a little kid being bitten by a bee, an old man suffering a heatstroke and a woman getting a huge cramp while she was swimming and having to be helped out of the water by Louis. But the truth is, Niall would rather have some action than having to be there doing nothing all day, being chatted up by cougar mothers and annoying kids, so that the biggest excitement of the day is having to find a shadowy area to prevent his stupid Irish skin from burning.

 

This is definitely the best part of the day. When the pool is empty and it’s just them bumming around; the sun starting to fade out behind the clouds and the gentle breeze of the summer soothing their burnt shoulders. If he’s in a good mood, Josh will let them have beers as he trims the bushes and mows the lawn, and he’ll even ask for one if it’s still too hot. Like today.

 

Liam is telling them about Danielle and his new dancing partner, the way he completely dislikes him because, “He doesn’t look you in the eye when he talks to you, he’s hiding something”.”

 

Niall chances a look at Harry who is idly fumbling with the sticker of his beer and nodding at Liam every now and then to show that he is paying attention. His blue eyes fall on his collarbone, the protruding bones and the slightly sweaty skin. He licks his lips distractedly, his eyes suddenly meet with Harry’s geen ones; he’s been caught.

 

 Niall looks away immediately, his skin tinted red.  Liam has stopped talking and Niall feels guilty and self-conscious. He doesn’t dare to look at anyone for a while but he swears that he can feel Harry’s mocking eyes burning holes through his skin.  The silence stretches and Niall’s hands twitch on his lap wishing the ground would swallow him. Finally, Harry clears his throat and Niall closes his eyes, afraid the English boy will say something to embarrass him. Instead, Hary announces that he wants to see a photo of their girlfriends.

 

Liam nods, taking his phone and quickly pressing a few buttons, and Niall can tell that he is really proud of her girlfriend’s good looks, if the way he smiles wildly and quickly hands the phone to Harry is anything to go by.

 

When Niall finally looks at Danielle he can corroborate this. With her curly hair and her sun kissed skin, she smiles like she’s having the time of her life, irradiating energy and good vibes even through the screen of the phone.

 

 “She seems really nice.” Niall finally decides.

 

Liam glances at the phone as if he didn’t remember how Danielle looks like, then tucks his phone in one of his pockets. “Cheers mate.” He says  with a silly smile tugging at his lips.

 

Two pair of eyes fall on  Niall  and the blonde clutches his phone firmly in his hand, for some reason adamant to share _her_ with the rest. He doesn’t want to think about her. About what she’s doing right now. He feels guilty and mad at himself, because he is here, when he should be _there._

 

“This is Amy.” Says Niall finally offering his phone with a sigh, “We are not exactly a couple. I’ve been after her for some time now but it’s been just recently that she has started to show some interest. We started seeing each other just before I left but then I had to come here and we decided to stop things for now. But I hope that we’ll start again where we left when I go back to Ireland.”

 

Harry takes a glance at Niall’s phone and passes it to Liam, his eyes falling immediately back on Niall, “She’s nice.” He says.  “I can see why you were pinning after her for ages.”

 

And well it wasn’t for ages, but yeah, Niall has been through a lot of effort to get Amy to notice him. Then Harry adds, “She’s pretty but she looks a bit full of herself. I think you could have more fun with me.”

 

Niall’s eyes shoot up to Harry. Is he insulting Amy? It doesn’t look like it. There’s no malice in his words and he has one of his playful smiles on his face. Once again Niall finds himself in one of these situations where he doesn’t know if he should be mad at Harry or just laugh it off. He scratches his brain for something to say, because even if he’s getting used to it, Harry’s annoying habit of speaking without a filter still leaves Niall speechless from time to time.

 

Finally he decides to let it go. He just reaches out, places a hand on Harry’s shoulder and says, “Yeah mate. Because you aren’t totally full of yourself, too.”

 

Harry smirks, “Well, it seems like you like that in a person.” Then he moves out of Niall’s touch and points an accusing finger at him, “Oh, and don’t “mate” me, you bastard. When you said you had someone I assumed you were taken, but the truth is that was just a miserable way of turning me down.”

 

Niall grins at this, his arm stretching again in an attempt to touch Harry who refuses to let the blonde’s hands anywhere near him, “No touching, you crushed my hopes."

 

Harry stands up to move his deck chair further away from Niall’s, then he sits again and crosses his arms over his chest, pouting.

 

Niall puffs out a laugh, his eyes set on Harry’s profile, “Well, because saying that totally discouraged you, right?” He asks ironically.

 

Harry turns his neck to look at him pretending to be outraged,  “Well not really," He shrugs off, "but that’s just because it was me. Any other person would have given up.”

 

To their left,  Liam clears his throat and both Harry and Niall turn to look at him, slightly startled.

 

“Still here, mates.” Says the older boy.

 

Niall flushes a little, tries to save face saying, “See what I have to deal with? this is work harassment.”

 

Harry tuts, “Harsh words, mate.”

 

Niall just pokes his tongue out at him and Harry does the same.

 

“Even if I don’t have a girlfriend, you do have a boyfriend.” Niall reminds him, now more seriously, because it really seems that Harry needs reminding.

 

Harry sits up, leaves the beer on the ground and stretches his limbs lazily, “Nick is not my boyfriend.” He says then, “Not an orthodox one, anyway. We are just best mates who shag frequently. Honestly, I think that if he met you guys and knew that I hadn’t tried to pull a move on you he’d accuse me of being an idiot.”

 

*

 

Its half past twelve, way past Liam’s bed time and Louis is in his room talking to Eleanor on the phone with hushed voices. Harry is reading a magazine sprawled in one of the couches of the living room and that leaves Zayn and Niall alone, sitting in the kitchen table and talking about what they are going to do once they go back in the United Kingdom.

 

“Mate, wanna come out with me to have a ciggy?” Asks Zayn at some point.

 

Niall doesn’t smoke per se. He likes to call himself a social smoker but he has never gone as far a buying his own pack of cigarettes.  However, it’s too hot and stuffy in the house and Niall will take any opportunity to go to the garden and maybe put his legs in the water, so he gets up and stretches his limbs languidly.

 

Zayn imitates him. He grabs his lighter from the table and pats his pockets to make sure he’s got his Fortuna with him. The he turns around and  walks towards the living room, Niall following close behind. “We are going to have a smoke, Harry. Wanna come?”

 

Harry looks up from the magazine apparenty glad for the distraction. His eyes flicker from Zayn to Niall and he nods and smiles wickedly.

 

Niall gulps, suddenly not liking the idea of going outside at all. 

 

He loves Harry and Zayn. But separately. He hates whenever he is stuck having to spend time with the two of them. It makes him feel uncomfortable and out of place, like nothing he can say will be funny or interesting. Like they wish Niall would leave so they could be on their own. He wonders if it’s too late to back off. He could say he is too tired or feeling sick or…

 

“Wait here. I have something to make things more interesting.”

 

Shit. Fuck. Niall watches as Harry jogs towards his room and comes back a few seconds later carrying a small brownish dice in the palm of his hand.

 

Weed.

 

*

 

Zayn sits on the grass cross-legged, his fingers moving nimbly as he starts rolling the blunts with expertise. Niall notices the way Harry’s eyes won’t leave Zayn’s hands and he sits there awkwardly feeling like he’s occupying too much space.

 

When Zayn offers him a blunt Niall feels almost grateful. He lets the older boy light it up for him and inhales sharply, letting the smoke warm his insides and relax him a little.

 

They smoke the first blunt in silence. A few coughs here and there, coming mostly from Niall and by the time he starts smoking his second one, the blonde feels already dizzy; the weed having more effect on him than on the rest because of his lack of experience with it. Harry and Zayn have started talking but Niall is not really paying attention. His eyes are trained on Harry’s face; how his lips curl into a smirk, the way the joint illuminates his green eyes as he looks at Zayn predatorily...

 

“I’ve tried with both men and women.” Niall hears Zayn say. “But I think I prefer men.”

 

Niall blinks a couple of times and wipes his itchy eyes with the back of his hands. His feet start tingling from lack of circulation, so he stretches his legs in front of him and represses a huge yawn.

 

“Yeah same here.” Harry replies then, and he sounds far, far away. “I haven’t slept with a woman in ages. I dunno, at some point it just got boring.”

 

There are eyes on him and fuck, he’s lost the thread of the conversation. What were they saying…? He looks from Zayn to Harry, slightly confused, and notices the way Harry is looking at him, the smile on his face so big that he looks like an idiot.

 

“Have you had sex with a man or not?” Asks Zayn finally.

 

Oh, so that was it. Niall actually has to think about it for a couple of seconds even if the answer is easy. Harry’s eyes are burning wholes through him  and he feels his hands getting sweaty.

 

“Uh, No. I... Never.”

 

Niall flushes. Harry has tilted his head and is now looking at him curiously and Niall just wants to disappear. Then, as if the blonde wasn’t feeling uncomfortable enough, the image of him and Harry in the pool comes back to his mind. His heart rate picks up. He doesn’t want to talk about it. He doesn’t want Harry to speak about it in front of Zayn. But Harry is smiling and licking his lips and Niall is sure that he is also thinking about their little aquatic rendezvous.

 

Fortunately, before Niall can die from stress and embarrassment, Harry simply chuckles and says, “Well, you should try.” and he leaves it at that. He focuses his attention on Zayn again, now looking at the older boy with a renewed interest.

 

Niall watches them interact for a while,  his hands fisted at his side, and finally he just lets his mind wander again. He honestly doesn’t want to know what they are talking about, but he catches a few words here and there, like bottom, top, blowjob. Mostly though, Niall hears his own slow thoughts.

 

They don’t really make much sense. He feels euphoric and tired at the same time. His heart beats loudly against his ribcage but his eyelids feel too heavy. Niall shakes his head trying to make the smoke and the mist inside his mind go away. He has a couple of minutes of clarity in which he realizes how uncomfortable he is, how much he is being ignored. For some reason his chest feels too tight, and he starts feeling terrible and sorry about himself and  his life.

 

He could walk away right now and they probably wouldn’t notice.  Maybe that’s what they are expecting. For Niall to leave. Probably they just want to be alone right now.

 

Niall  is about to announce that he is going to sleep when Zayn stubs out  his last blunt and with a meaningful look at Harry he gets up and says that he is going to sleep. Harry raises a hand still holding his blunt, “I still have to finish this,” and then looking at Niall, “wait for me?” And Niall who was about to get up, plops down on the floor again, sighing.

 

“Yeah, okay.” He answers, watching the way Harry’s eyes follow Zayn as he disappears inside the house.

*

 

Niall seems to partially regain his senses the moment Zayn leaves and Harry’s green eyes fall on him with a glint of mischief.  A voice at the back of his head keeps repeating, “you should have left with Zayn” but now it’s too late and he can’t look away or move.

 

 “Wanna shotgun?”

 

Niall chuckles at Harry’s question. He feels slightly jealous of how unaffected and cool the younger boy looks. Niall knows that he is blushing and that his hands are sweaty and shaking slightly, but at least he wants to be able to hold Harry’s stare. Show him that he isn’t intimidated. He is slightly mad at Harry and very very ready to show him that he is not going to loose time playing his games.

 

“We aren’t 15 you know?  that excuse doesn’t work anymore.” He finally retorts.

 

Harry’s mind doesn’t seem to be working properly either because he asks, “Excuse?”

 

“Yeah. You know.” Niall replies, his head tilting to the side, “ The excuse to kiss someone.”

 

Harry huffs out a small laugh and looks sideways, somewhat disbelieving. “Fuck blondie, you can’t relax even when you are high as a kite.” He says.

 

Niall doesn’t laugh this time.  His eyes linger on Harry; his green eyes look red and glassy like he is about to cry. Niall wonders if his eyes look the same. If Harry is having the same difficulty to look away from him.

 

““Well, I can, but not with you around.” Niall finally says.

 

“I can think of a way or two to make you relax.” Harry replies quickly.

 

They look at each other for a few seconds and then Harry throws his head back and starts laughing. Niall looks at him, at the way the corner of his eyes crinkle in the most endearing way, and he starts laughing too. Soon they are spilling tears from their eyes and clutching their stomachs, the sound of their laughter echoing around the garden.

 

 “Really, Harry?” Asks Niall once he is breathing properly again.

 

 A comfortable silence stretches between them. It’s getting really late and Niall feels that he could fall asleep even in his current sitting position.

 

 “Common, finish that one quickly, I wanna sleep.” He protests.

 

Harry brings the fag to his lips knowing that Niall is following every movement with his eyes. He hollows his cheeks as he drags the smoke inside his lungs, his eyes on Niall’s.

 

“Help me.”

 

Niall nods. He raises a hand to take the blunt from Harry’s fingers, but Harry withdraws his hand and shakes his head, the smirk back on his face.

 

“No not like that.” He says. He looks at Niall, his eyes washing over Niall’s soft features, then the left corner of his lips curves up. He brings the cigarette back to his lips and inhales deeply, then grabs Niall’s top and yanks until the blonde is sitting in front of him, their knees pressed together.

 

 “Like this.” He breaths out before he lunges forward.

 

Niall tuts in disapproval but opens his lips anyway, letting the younger boy have his way and swallowing obediently the smoke when Harry exhales into his mouth. He expects Harry to pull away immediately but instead Harry brushes their lips together before he starts sucking on Niall’s bottom lip.

 

The blonde stills and lets out a ragged pant. Harry leans their foreheads together and his hand curls around the curve of Niall’s little back, a wandering hand slipping under his top to stroke the soft skin of the blonde’s sides, the hair of Niall’s arms standing up at with Harry’s touch

 

The blonde ducks forwards pressing a lazy smile against Harry's lips, his lungs expanding as he massages his lips over Harry’s sluggishly and tentatively. His mouth opens on its own accord letting Harry lick into it and he lets out a low moan when he feels Harry’s wet tongue against his.

 

Harry pulls away and looks at him briefly. “I like you so fucking much.” He breathes out, then pecks the corner of Niall’s mouth and leaves his lips ghosting over the blonde’s, who gently catches Harry’s bottom lip between his teeth and nibbles.

 

With his heart in his throat Niall lets Harry bring him onto his lap, a shuddery breath escaping his lips when Harry starts kissing the base of his neck.

Something cold and wet hits the back of Niall’s neck. He ignores it. Then there’s a small beeping sound and both of them pull apart to see what is happening. Suddenly the lawn sprinklers start splashing water everywhere and Niall jumps to his feet cursing loudly.

 

He tries to run towards the house but Harry, still on the ground, grabs his arm and pulls himself to his feet. “Fuck it.” He says towering over Niall. He cups the blonde’s face and lunges forward again, whispering,  “Just c’mere.”

 

Niall is drenched, tired and sad. The water has apparently instigated some sense into him, because for the first time in the whole night he sees things clearly. He pulls away and shakes his head, “No. I’m sorry Harry. I don’t wanna do this.”

 

 They look at each other. Harry making silent questions with his eyes until his grip on Niall’s arm relaxes. His green eyes look tired too and slightly dissapointed. Niall soon finds himself unable to hold his stare. He just looks down at he feet and mutters  that he is really sorry a couple of times before he turns around and storms into the house.

 

 Harry stays outside, droplets of water running from his hair to his face and his top clinging uncomfortably to his body.

 

Later as he lays on his bed unable to sleep, Niall hears moans and the unmistakable creaking sound of springs coming from Zayn’s room.

 

*  
*  
*


End file.
